Can feeding mechanism



United States Patent Office 3,441,120 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 3,441,120CAN FEEDING MECHANISM Robert W. McGill, Munroe Falls, Ohio, assignor toGeo. J. Meyer, 'Cudahy, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Feb. 16,1967, Ser. No. 616,514 Int. Cl. B65g 47/69, 47/71 US. Cl. 198-31 3Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a canfeeding and sorting mechanism adapted to receive a single row of movingabutted objects with at least some of the objects being sorted out ofthe row by the can feeding mechanism in order to form at least oneadditional row of the abutted objects. The apparatus is basicallycomprised of a discshaped spacer means mounted substantially tangent toa moving row of abutted, cylindrical objects, such as cans, theperipheral surface of the spacer means being provided with a pluralityof receiving recesses or surfaces each of which mates with and receivesan individual moving object as it passes through the feed mechanism. Thespacer means is driven to rotate in proper sequence whereby each objectas it feeds through the spacer means engages a respective receivingsurface. Some of the objects merely pass through the can feed mechanismin order to continue in the moving row, but means, for example,associated with every other receiving surface of the spacer means areadapted to grasp and hold the object in such receiving surface as thespacer means rotates an arcuate distance whereby the objects held inevery other receiving surface of the spacer means are pulled away fromthe moving row. Means are provided to release the objects from thereceiving surfaces after such objects have been pulled away from themoving row with such objects then being fed into a receiving channel toform at least one additional row of the abutted objects.

In order to obtain a better understanding of the apparatus of theinvention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, vertical section of a preferred embodiment ofthe can feed and sorting mechanism of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a reduced size, plan view, partly in horizontal section, ofthe can feed mechanism illustrated by FIG, 1, as taken on line 2-2 ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a broken-away, reduced scale, overall plan view of the canfeed mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, particularly illustratingthe way in which the can feed mechanism operates on a single moving rowof cylindrical objects in order to position the cylindrical objects intwo rows.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and with attention beingparticularly directed to FIG. 3, the can feed and sorting mechanism,generally illustrated by the numeral 10, sorts a plurality of abuttedcylindrical objects 12, such as cans, which are being conveyed in afixed path in the direction of arrow 14, into two closely spaced rowsmoving in the direction of arrows 14a and 14b, respectively. Suchsorting or arranging is accomplished by passing the cans 12 through thecan feed mechanism 10 whereby every other can 12 going into themechanism 10 is fed in the direction of arrow 16 to form an additionalrow moving in the direction of arrow 14b.

By sorting the cans 12 from one single moving row into two moving rows,the cans are in proper position to have an open-ended, heat shrunk bandof plastic film operatively and tightly wrapped around both rows of cansin order to provide a compact, unitary package assembly (not shown) fora plurality, such as six, of the cans 12. One type of a package assemblyformed around the cans 12 is illustrated and described in detail inBruce W. Coppings co-pending application Ser. No. 594,125, and it shouldbe understood that the present invention relates to apparatus forquickly and automatically sorting the cans 12 into two rows tofacilitate forming the carrier assembly illustrated by such co-pendingapplication.

Now referring to the actual can feed and sorting mechanism 10 in greaterdetail, reference should be had to FIG. 1 wherein it is seen that thecan feed mechanism, generally illustrated by the numeral 10', includes asupport shaft or post means 18 which is rotatably journalled as bybearing means 20 in a hub 22 which is mounted on a suitable frame orbase means 24. The base means 24 also provides support for a suitableendless conveyor, or chain 26 the courses of which are mounted in spacedrelationship on the base means 24 by a suitable bracket 28. The conveyor26 supports and moves the cans 12 in the direction of the arrows 14 ofFIG. 3, which direction referring to FIG. 1 would be into the page. Anysuitable guides 30 are provided to insure that the cans 12 are moved bythe conveyor 26 in a single row in the direction of arrow 14.

As is best illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 3, a disc-shaped transfer, orspacer means, generally indicated by the numeral 32, is mounted on thesupport post 18 with its periphery substantially tangent to the movingrow of cans 12. The spacer means 32 includes a top plate 132 and usuallyupper and lower article engaging plates 133 and 134, respectively. Theouter peripheral surfaces of the plates 133 and 134 are formed with aplurality of concave recesses or receiving surfaces 34 which arevertically aligned and engage with and mate, as best illustrated by FIG.3, with each individual can 12 as it passes thereby moving in thedirection of arrow 14. Means (not shown) are provided to drive thesupport post 18 so that the spacer means 32 is rotated in the directionof arrow 36 of FIG. 3. As is best illustrated by FIG. 3, the spacermeans 32 is rotated so that the cans 12 are properly received withinthe'receiving recesses or surfaces 34 as spacer means 32 rotates. Someof the cans are fed straight through the spacer means 32 in thedirection of arrow 14a while some of the cans are fed in the directionof arrow 16 into a path defined by an adjacent guide or channel 30a,which path normally is parallel to and immediately adjacent the originalfixed path for the articles. As the cans feed through the spacer means32, each individual can is received adjacent its upper surface by recess34 of plate 133 and adjacent its bottom surface by recess 34 of plate134.

In order to feed at least some of the cans 12 moving in the direction ofarrow 14 into channel 30a as the spacer means 32 rotates in thedirection of arrow 36, means are provided which are adapted toreleasably bias every other can 12 passing tangent to spacer means 32against top plate 132 as the can 12 is positioned in or received by arespective recess or receiving surface 34. These means are basicallycomprised of a plurality of radially extending footer members 38, eachbeing pivotally operatively mounted, as by a pivot pin 40, to the lowerarticle engaging plate 134 by being received in radially directed slots42 provided in the bottom of the body or center portion of the plate 134or an associated member. Compression spring means 44 received withinrespective circumferentially spaced, axially directed bores 46 of theplate 134 engage with the radially inner ends of the footer members 38in order to pivot the footer members 38 about their respective pivotpins 40 whereby the radially outer ends of the footer members are biasedin an upward direction, as illustrated by footer members 38a of FIG. 1.

Secured to each footer member 38 and extending downwardly therefrom is acylindrically shaped roller or cam follower or member 48, eachjournalled on a shaft 49. As is best illustrated by FIG. 1, the camfollowers or members 48 extend downwardly into an open-topped flange orchannel 50 provided on the top or upper surface of the hub 22.Positioned at a radially outer portion of the channel 50 is a cam member52. As the transfer or spacer means 32 is rotated in the direction ofarrow 36 the cam members 48 rotatably engage and move over the cammember 52 to effect pivotal movement of the respective footer members 38as they rotate substantially tangent to the cans 12. It is the purposeof the cam members 48 and 52 to cause the radially outer portions ofeach footer member to slide under and bias a particular can 12 againsttop plate member 132 as the footer members and the spacer means rotate.A rubber gripping pad 53 is preferably provided on the radially outertop surface of each footer member to cause each footer member to firmlygrip each can as the footer member is pivoted thereunder.

As is best illustrated by FIG. 2, the radially extending footer members38 are associated with every other receiving surface 34 with each of thefooter members 38 being in substantially vertical alignment with andbeing positioned directly below the receiving surfaces 34 associatedtherewith. As the spacer means 32 rotates, alternate cans 12 are biasedagainst top plate 132 and are held in the respective recesses orsurfaces 34. Therefore, alternate cans 12 are slidv off of and pulledaway from the moving conveyor 26. As the cans 12 continue to movearcuately while remaining in their respective receiving surfaces 34, asuitable stripping arm 54 (see FIG. 3), extending in cantilever fashioninto the can feeding and sorting apparatus 10, catches and strips theparticular can 12 away from its receiving surface 34, the top plate 132,and the footer member 38 whereby the can 12 is fed into the path definedby the receiving channel 30a with the footer member 38 being free tobias upwardly again into the position indicated by footer member 380.

Suitable rollers, chains, or conveyor means 26a can be provided toconvey the cans fed into channel 30a in the direction of arrow 14b, butthe force of the moving cans 12 being rapidly fed into the channel 30ausually is sufficient to keep the cans moving in the direction of arrow14b.

The novel arrangement disclosed, wherein the footer members 38 areassociated with every other receiving surface 34 in order to hold thecan 12 fed thereinto in engagement with the receiving surfaces as thespacer means 32 rotates an arcuate distance, causes the moving cans 12to be quickly and rapidly sorted into two rows of abutted cans whereinthey are in proper position to allow a suitable package assembly to beformed.

While in accordance with the patents statutes only one best knownemobdiment of the invention has been illustrated and described indetail, it is to be particularly understood that the invention is notlimited thereto or thereby, but that the inventive scope is defined inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for arranging a single row of moving, abutted objects, suchas cans, being fed through a fixed path, into at least two rows,including,

disc-shaped spacer means positioned to have its periphery tangent to themoving row of objects, the outer peripheral surface of the spacer meansbeing formed with a plurality of recesses which mate with an individualobject as it passes thereby,

means to rotate the spacer means where-by each object engages arespective recess as the objects pass by said spacer means, and

holding means associated with circumferentially spaced recesses to holdan object in such recesses as the spacer means rotates an arcuatedistance to thereby pull the object held in one of such recesses awayfrom the moving row of objects,

said spacer means including a top plate, and said holding means beingassociated with a lower portion of the spacer means to engage the bottomof an object and force it into engagement with the top plate formovement with the spacer means,

said holding means including footer members pivotally and operativelymounted on and radially extending of said spacer means substantiallydirectly below certain of said recesses of the spacer means with whichthey are associated, and compression spring means operatively carried bysaid spacer means and engaging with the radially inner ends of theindividual footer members to bias the radially outer ends thereofupwardly continuously; and

cam and follower means operatively connecting to said footer members tomove them downwardly and under an object as said footer member rotateswith said spacer means to move them into article engaging positions forportions of their rotary movement.

2. Apparatus for arranging a single row of moving,

abutted objects, such as cans, being fed through a fixed path, into atleast two rows, including disc-shaped spacer means positioned to haveits periphery tangent to the moving row of objects, the outer peripheralsurface of the spacer means being formed with a plurality of recesseswhich mate with an individual object as it passes thereby, means torotate the spacer means whereby each object engages a respective recessas the objects pass by said spacer means, holding means associated withcircumferentially spaced ones of said recesses to hold an object in suchrecesses as the spacer means rotates an arcuate distance to thereby movethe object held in one of such recesses away from the moving row, meansto release the object from its respective recess after the object ismoved away from the moving row, means receiving the released objects toform at least one additional row of abutted objects, said spacer meansincluding a top plate with portions extending out over said recesses,and said holding means being associated with a lower portion of thespacer means to engage the bottom of an object and force it intoengagement with the top plate for movement with the spacer means, saidholding means each including a footer member pivotally and operativelymounted on and radially extending of said spacer means, the footermembers being in vertical alignment with and substantially directlybelow a said recess of the spacer means with which it is associated, anda compression spring means operatively carried by said spacer means andengaging with the radially inner end of the individual footer members tobias the radially outer ends thereof in an upward directioncontinuously; and cam and follower means operatively connecting to saidfooter members to move them downwardly and under an article as saidfooter members rotate with said spacer means to move them into articleengaging positions for portions of their rotary movement. 3. Apparatusfor arranging a single row of moving,

abutted objects, such as cans, being fed through a fixed path, into atleast two rows, including disc-shaped spacer means positioned to haveits periphery tangent to the moving row of objects, the outer peripheralsurface of the spacer means being formed with a plurality of recesseswhich mate with an individual objects as it passes thereby,

means to rotate the spacer means whereby each object engages arespective recess as the objects pass by said spacer means,

holding means associated with circumferentially spaced ones of saidrecesses to hold an object in such recesses as the spacer means rotatesan arcuate distance to thereby move the object held in one of suchrecesses away from the moving row,

means to release the object from its respective recess after the objectis moved away from the moving row,

means receiving the released objects to form at least one additional rowof abutted objects,

base means,

support post means journalled on said base means, said spacer meansbeing mounted on said support post means for rotation therewith,

said holding means including footer members pivotally carried by saidspacer means and continuously biased to move their outer ends upwardly,and

cam means to control said footer members,

said cam means being comprised of a cam member positioned on said basemeans, and cam followers secured to said footer members and extendingtherefrom to engage said cam member as the footer members are rotated toeffect pivotal movement of the footer members to bring them to articleengaging positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,602,533 7/1952 Bruce. 2,649,1848/1953 Dodge. 2,743,001 4/ 1956 Nordquist. 2,920,739 1/ 1960 Woldin.

EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

